District 6 Election, Capitol Devotionals, Liquor
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, June 23, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Since President Trump appointed members of Congress to serve on his executive cabinet, states have elected their replacements in special elections, and conservative candidates have won every one, including the one in Georgia.
When Karen Handel won the Sixth Congressional District race June 20th, she became the first Republican woman Georgia has ever elected to Congress. She will take the oath of office after the June 20th vote is certified, and could be seated in time to vote on the bill to replace Obamacare, if it’s amended in the Senate and goes back to the House for agreement.
More good news: Nine leaders in President Trump’s 24-member cabinet, including Vice President Pence, regularly participate in a weekly Bible study for prayer and fellowship in Washington, D.C. Sponsors of the Bible study include two cabinet members from Georgia – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price – plus 26 congressmen, including Senator David Perdue, Representatives Rick Allen and Tom Graves from Georgia. That Washington Bible study was created seven years ago by Capitol Ministries, whose founder, seven-feet-one-inch former national basketball player Ralph Dollinger, preached the gospel around the world at halftime wherever he played. He personally, prepares and teaches the D.C. lessons that are translated into French, Spanish, and Russian, to reach national leaders in their own language.
The Georgia Capitol Commission Bible Study meets in Room 123 of the Capitol, weekly during the session and monthly between sessions. Officials, staff and lobbyists are invited to study and enjoy a light lunch. Also, almost every other Tuesday at 9:55 a.m., members of the Georgia Public Service Commission have a five-minute, typically Christian, devotional to begin their work-day.
We can be thankful for Christian influence on government and our elected officials, who stop bills like S.B. 17 that would have changed Sunday-sale hours of on-site consumption of liquor by-the-drink. Current law prohibits on-site liquor consumption until 12:30 afternoon on Sundays which indicates support for church attendance, but if S.B. 17 had passed, liquor-by-the-drink would have started at 10:30 Sunday morning and conflict with church services.
S.B. 85 is a liquor bill that DID pass this session, but it left in the hands of local government decisions about the time, day, and hour for drinking on-the-premises and left current law in place to prohibit liquor-by-the-drink until 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. Thankfully, action on these two bills demonstrates the legislature’s continued reverence for religious expression. For Georgia Insight, I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.